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The Very Last Dance Hall Left in L.A.

Nostalgic, lush and heartfelt. Laura Pursell's smooth west coast vocals are backed by the genius of father Bill Pursell, who wrote 8 out of 10 arrangements and played piano on all 10 tracks. Rich orchestration, recorded by Nashville's A-team players.

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

This is the kind of album rarely seen or heard any more, a throwback to the days of live recording in a big studio, with a full string section and live rhythm players. It also combines the considerable talents of father/daughter team Bill and Laura Pursell.

Often compared to the late singers Karen Carpenter and Eva Cassidy, vocalist and songwriter Laura Pursell blends a combination of angelic soulfulness with west coast cool. Her voice and music defy categorization – she has recorded everything from jazz to pop to country to electronica.

Bill Pursell is a Nashville session legend, who has recorded with Marty Robbins, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and scores of others. He had his own hit record on Columbia in 1963, as the artist on the instrumental single “Our Winter Love”.

"The Very Last Dance Hall Left in L.A." is Laura's 5th full-length CD album and is truly a family affair. It brings her together again with Netcom Music, her artist father, her producer uncle and a host of LA musicians, some of whom she grew up with.

This album began with an idea from Ray Clawson to record three tracks recorded in May, 2014 in Nashville, TN. It concluded with seven more in December of that year. Bill Pursell was given carte blanche to create the sound he wanted, with the musicians he wanted, and the result was 10 tracks of beautiful lush orchestration featuring the string lines he is known for.

Laura wrote the lyrics for the title track, "The Very Last Dance Hall Left in LA" 10 years ago, and it was based on a true story about a disappearing time and place. Co-writer Fred Burch found the lyrics and helped re-shape them, and Bill set them to music. A funky undulating Latin riff propels the story forward as Laura sings about Roger and Mary dancing away "in the very last dance hall left in L.A."

This set the tone for the rest of the album. Tunes were chosen based on the idea of nostalgia, loss and acceptance.

"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" is a lesser-known Hank Williams chestnut and it's been given the royal carpet treatment here by arranger Steve Mauldin.

"For All We Know" pays tribute to the late Karen Carpenter, one of Laura's favorite singers, and Bill came up with a completely different opening motif than the one associated with the familiar Carpenters' arrangement.

"I'll Be Seeing You" was Ray's favorite tune, and a song Laura had never sung before, so there were no preconceived ideas about it. Bill created an intimate setting of simply piano and vocal, backed by an unforgettable layered background of strings. He describes it as "solitary, introverted, a memory song". It's a showpiece of the album.

Between the two recording sessions, the 110-year old historical Pursell family home in Nashville was packed up and sold in August, 2014. After this emotionally-draining experience, it gave new meaning to "Home", a tune recorded and co-written by Michael Buble.

Steve Mauldin handled the arrangement for "You Don't Know Me", a gorgeous treatment with an Old Hollywood style string accompaniment.

"Strange" has an interesting history. Originally recorded by Patsy Cline, Bill Pursell was actually on that record, playing vibes, in 1963. Fred Burch co-wrote the tune with Mel Tillis and was in the studio control room when it was re-cut 50 years later. Bill, playing piano on the tune this time around, handled the arrangement and threw in a nod to "Our Winter Love". (Listen, and you'll hear the motif.)

"If I Could Reach You" was the tune that started the entire project. Ray heard it on the radio one afternoon and decided Laura should sing it. Originally recorded by Marilyn McCoo and the Fifth Dimension, this beautiful song is rarely heard anymore.

Jon Colton Barry, a new friend of Laura's, was playing "I Wanna Look Good for My Man" at a party on his guitar one evening in 2013. Laura was hooked on the catchy melody and lyrics and told him she'd love to record it. The saucy, sassy tune is given a modern broadway-esque treatment here.

Finally, "Some Other Time", the standard written by the team of Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green fittingly closes the collection. It's Laura's favorite song.

The choice of songs, the styling, the arrangements, the whole ambiance of Laura Purcell's new CD, THE VERY LAST DANCE HALL LEFT IN LA, took me away to a place of remembrance. I enjoyed it so much that I listened twice. And again the next day. Most recently, I shared it with some old friends at a dinner party. Some of the standouts like HOME, IF I COULD REACH YOU, FOR ALL WE KNOW, I CAN'T HELP IT, and YOU DON'T KNOW ME, brought back great memories from our 32 year friendship. I WANNA LOOK GOOD FOR MY MAN, and the title song about Roger and Mary dancing at the last dance hall in LA, Yeah!!! I was impressed with the CD graphics. I thought that the darkness made it an almost unrecognizable Laura, making me want to see what was inside. Which opened to a beautiful and classic profile shot. I loved the disc shot, and the way her eyes popped open as I removed the disc. Very Nice....

It's the perfect cd for a host of occasions. My first listen was in the car, which made the commute pretty chill, which is super. The second time I listened to it was while cooking for a dinner party - with a glass of wine and the sun setting outside it made me feel like an elegant hostess from the Madmen era - Pursell's voice is like butter, all mellow and rich, while the orchestrations are equally lush and evocative. As a whole the music has the power to transport. I listened to it for third time in one day, playing it during before dinner cocktails and everyone was dying to know 'who's the singer? Where did you get this? How old is it?" Although Piursell's voice is contemporary, there's a melancholy and molasses thing going on that "they just don't make anymore." What a joy it must have been for father/daughter tam Laura and Bill Pursell to record this record---they just had to know people would fall in love with it.

This CD is incredibly addicting! It sends me off to a far away world reflecting on love lost, love found, hopes of love, and even present time love, all the while being carried away by lush strings and Laura's purest of pure vocals. The arrangements are phenomenal! The strings (10 Violins, 3 violas, and 3 cellos, along with legendary Bill Pursell on piano) act as the wings that carry me off to the....The Very Last Dance Hall Left in L.A.

Laura Pursell is a singer with great depth and understanding. On this new CD she pants a picture of love, loss and longing. Her perfect intonation, expressive phrasing and beautiful voice serve her well in telling those stories. She is aided and abetted by her father, the legendary Bill Pursell. He is the pianist and the arranger of a full orchestra replete with a gorgeous string section. Laura weaves her magic on the title tune which she co-wrote with Bill, "The Very Last Dance Hall Left In L.A.", "For All We Know" and "Strange", a Patsy Cline tune. She delivers new, heartfelt and stand-out versions of , "Home", I'll Be Seeing You" and "Some Other Time. " "I Can't Help It", "You Don't Know Me", "If I Could Reach You" and "I Wanna Look Good For My Man" round out this sensational recording. It is Laura's best recording and I believe it is one of the best recordings by anyone in the business of singing. An artistic, enjoyable, masterwork.